The issue

The meat, eggs and dairy at the center of many plates are also at the center of some of our world’s greatest threats to the environment, public health, workers’ rights and animal welfare.

Animal products are the most resource-intensive foods in our diet — they require massive water and energy inputs and generate significant greenhouse gas emissions, soil, air and water pollution. In order to avert the worst impacts of climate change and protect water supplies for future generations, we must produce and eat “less and better." This means consuming fewer animal products, supporting the farmers and ranchers who are raising animals sustainably and making sure that everyone has access to the healthiest options. Learn more.

What we’re doing

What you can do

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Eat less and better

Ask your supermarkets and restaurants to carry more plant-based options and to source more humane, pasture-raised and/or organic meat and dairy products. Leave comment cards, speak to the manager and post on their Facebook pages.

Learn more

Most animals are raised in factory farms where they are fed a diet of genetically engineered corn and soy, grown with toxic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers which pollute our rivers and groundwater. Raising billions of animals in confined areas also generates massive amounts of toxic manure that pollute our air and water — especially in nearby communities.

Overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture contributes to the rise of antibiotic resistant “superbugs,” one of our most pressing public health problems. Jobs on factory farms and slaughterhouses are associated with some of the highest rates of worker injury and illness.

To solve these problems, we must dramatically reduce meat consumption, reform current animal agriculture practices and shift to more sustainable livestock production.More sustainably-raised options, like pastured organic meat and dairy, are better for people and the planet.

School Food Footprint Report shows how this district was able to significantly reduce its carbon and water footprint by replacing a share of its meat, poultry and cheese purchases with plant-based proteins.

Chain Reaction grades America’s top restaurant chains on their policies and practices regarding antibiotic use and transparency in their meat and poultry supply chains. All but five companies received a failing grade.

Farming for the Future busts three common myths about feeding the world that keep us on the path of business as usual. The report details robust scientific evidence that demonstrates that creating a democratic, organic and agroecological farming system is key to feeding all people, now and into the future.

This report from Friends of the Earth Europe and Heinrich Böll Foundation invites you to take a trip around the world to give you insights into the global connections made when we eat meat. Informed, critical consumers can shift the market with their decisions and demand the political changes needed.